Sink



April 10, 1962 A. M. LANDER SINK Filed May 1, 1959 [LAB 1 Hill i ze a (V //v ENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

nited jStates are Filed May 1, 1959, Ser. No. 810,437

3 Claims. ((11. 4--187) This invention relates to a sink, and, more particularly, a sink having a perimetric lip or edge equipped with a resilient strip and which is adapted for counter top mounting.

Counter-topped sinks, as currently employed, are fitted with a stainless steel edge extending around the sink lip. This stainless steel edge often is T-shaped in cross section so that a portion of the stainless steel overlies the lip and another portion overlies the counter. Various clamps, screws, etc. are provided to support the sink from the counter. All of this has given rise to a number of disadvantages. The sink and its stainless steel edge are shipped separatelyand installed on the job. When the stainless steel edge is tightly clamped to the sink, uneven applications of stress result, which may chip the porcelain finish with which the sink is usually equipped. On the other hand, a loose fit between the sinks lip and the stainless steel edge means that unsanitary leakage might occur.

These and other disadvantages are overcome'by the present invention, and it is a general object of this invention to provide a' novel sink, i.e., a sink of the character installable as part of a counter top and which is equipped with a novel type of edge.

Another ojbect of this invention is to provide a sink edge member which may be installed prior to shipment of the sink to its ultimate site of installation and which is effective during shipment to safeguard the integrity of the sink, particularly at the critical lip portions which may chip, the edge material also serving as a bumper so as to eliminatepadding and packing materials and reduce the cost of cartoning.

Still another object is to provide a sink having a perimetric lip in which a resilient edge strip is applied to the lip to aid in supporting and protecting the lip, the edge strip being constructed to effectively seal the sink lip to a counter top, irrespective of the stress applied to the strip.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a sink of the character adapted to counter top installation in which a resilient edge member is applied to a perimetric lip on the sink and in which the ends of the resilient edge strip are butted together adjacentthe rear of the sink and in the vicinity of the faucets thereof, whereby the completed installation has parts cooperating together to pro' vide an exceptionallysuperior seal between the sink and the counter top. v V t A further object is to provide a sink for counter instal lation which is equipped with a resilient edge strip characterized by being safer and more sanitary than previously-employed structures for the same purpose. Other objects and advantages of this invention can be seen as this specification proceeds.

The invention will be explained in conjunction with an illustrative embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, in which- FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a counter top equipped with a sink constructed according to the teachings of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an edge strip seen in extended condition and which is also seen injFIG. 1 as applied to the sink shown therein;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view as would be taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

. to FIG. 1, the counter 10 is seen to be equipped with a structed of a resilient plastic material.

generally rectangular-shaped sink designated generally by the numeral 11 and which is also seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. As can be best seen in FIG. 3, the sink 11 is equipped with a laterally-extending perimetric lip portion 12, which defines the upper surface of the sink and extends about the bowl 13.

Also seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 are faucets 14, the faucet 14 in FIG. 3 being seen to be attached to a nipple 15 and through a union 16 to a riser 17, in accordance with conventional plumbing practice. 1

The perimetric lip 12, as best seen in FIG. 3, is seen to be equipped with an edge or strip designated 'generally.

by the numeral 18. The strip 18 can be seen inenlarged form in FIG. 4 and includes an elongated member con- One such mate'- rial suitable for this purpose is a polyvinyl chloride acetate copolymer. A specific product currently marketed for this purpose is Geon 8372, marketed by the B. F.

Goodrich Company;

As can be ,seen in FIG. 1, the strip 18 extends about A the perimeter of the sink 11, with the ends 18a of the strip 18 being melded together as at 19 in the rear'of the sink.; The rear of the sink is generally the place where the great-j est leakage could occur because of the proximity of the faucets 14. To assure a good seal between the sink lip- 12 and the counter 18 in this area, the ends 18a of the strip 18 are beveled, as can be seen in FIG. 2. Further,v the faucet plumbing itself cooperates to provide a grip;

seal in this area, since tighteningof the union 16 urges the lip 12 at the rear of the sink downwardly toward the counter 10, thereby compressing the resilient strip 18.

Referring again to FIG. 4, it is to be seen that the strip 18 is characterized by a generally C-shaped' cross section.

The C-shaped cross section is provided by a longitudinally-- extending recess or groove 20 in the side of the strip. member 18 which faces inwardly of the sinkllr The" groove 20, as illustrated, is defined by a generally flat or planarbottom wall 21 and an upwardlyand outwardly-- inclined top wall 22. In the illustration given, it is to Y be seen that the top wall 22 is slightly'arcuate and -pro-. vides an inner top portion 23 which is adaptedto bearagainst the top surface 12a of thelip 12. The spacing between the wall 21 and the portion 23 is less than .the

thickness of the lip 12 so that the portion 23 is movedupwardly when the lip 12 is inserted within the recess 20, as can be appreciated from a comparison of FIGSV3 and 4.

the top portion of the strip 18 in urging the portion 23 into sealing engagement with the top surface 12a of the strip 12.

The bottom surface 24 of the member 18 maybe squipped with a longitudinally-extending groove or recess- 25, which is effective in minimizing any tendency of the strip to wrinkle or buckle at the corners. Also for this.

purpose, the portions of'the strip in thecornersof the sink may be notched out, as at 26 in FIGS. 2 and 5. The

notches 26 may be V-shaped, as seen, and are effective to minimize the tendency of the strip to buckle or gap at the corners.

The strip 13 is also equipped with an integral depend- I Patented Apr. 10, 1962? ing flange 27, which extends longitudinally of the strip 18 and, as can be seen in FIG. 3, fits within the cut-out portion a of the counter 10.

In the operation of the structure just described, the strip may be conveniently employed at the factory where the sink is manufactured. Most counter top sinks are porcelainized, i.e., equipped with a top layer of vitreous enamel, which may be either white or colored according to taste. Heretofore, when metal edge strips were employed in connection with counter top sinks, the sinks and strips were shipped separately and only united when the sink was installed. Now, however, the strip may be coupled to the sink right at the factory, eliminating costly labor at the site of installation. Further, this can be done by trained personnel and under conditions where inspection can readily take place, so that a superior installation of the edge strip on the sink is achieved. For the purpose of installing the strip 18 on the sink 11, an adhesive may be applied to the bottom surface 12b of the lip 12, or, alternatively, within the recess 20. Such an adhesive may be Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Companys Type EC 1099. The butted end portions 18a may be stapled or adhesively united at the same time. After allowing the adhesive to set, which is facilitated by the weight of the sink 11 bearing against the strip 18, the edge strip-equipped sink is then placed in a suitable carton for shipment. The resilient strip 18 serves as a bumper during shipment, being able to yield transversely so as to protect the sink and particularly the vitreous enamel covering. The protection of the covering or coating in the area of the lip is especially important, since the coating is sensitive at this area to chipping-the coating usually terminating at the top upper edge of the lip, it being unnecessary to coat the underside of the sink which is not visible.

Through the use of a resilient material for the strip 18 which may take the form of a variety of plastic materials, the sink may be enhanced in color, whether the sink itself is colored or not. It is also possible now to fashion an edge strip which corresponds in color to the color of the sink through the use of suitable color additives to the plastic material making up the edge strip.

When the sink is received at the site of ultimate installation, all that is required for the installation is for the carpenter to make a suitable cut-out 10a in the counter top 10. This may be done conveniently by a routing jig, or the like. Thereafter, adhesive, which may be of the character previously described, is placed on the undersurface 24 of the strip 18 and the sink is placed on the counter 10. Again, the weight of the sink facilitates the setting of the adhesive. This is in studied contrast to previously installed counter top sinks, where special tightening screws hadto be installed at a plurality of places to bear against the underside of the sink. The more these screws were tightened, and here it is to be appreciated that a tight fit was considered necessary for a good seal between the strip and the sink, the greater the tendency existed for chipping or stressing of the sink. The previously-employed expedients resulted at best in a non-uniform application of stresses to the sink. Further, all of this work had to be done from underneath the counter, which required the expenditure of considerable time-especially those screws which had to be tightened on the rear side of the sink, which may have been positioned adjacent a wall and where the space for work was limited. Now, however, not only is the labor cut down materially, but also a uniform loading or stressing is applied to the sink, which materially improves the sinks resistance to chipping or other failure due to uneven stressing.

In use, the strip 18 can be considered self-locking. Any stress applied to the section 23 is resisted by the rear portion of the strip 18, and the greater the force applied to raise portion 23, the greater the resistive force opposing this stress. The configuration of the strip 18 develops this in two ways: The configuration of the wall 22 aids in pressing the top portion 23 down against the top surface 12a of lip 12, and the canted bottom surface 240 also aids in this respect. The bottom wall portion 24a is thus generally angularly inclined to the top surface to bring about this desirable operation. This again is in contrast to what has gone before, since now there 1s available a relatively yielding strip which does not present a sharp edge and thus cannot cut a person using the sink. Further, if necessary, the area under the strip can be cleaned out so that the sink is more sanitary. With previous types of strips, there did not exist the resilient seal between the strip and the sink so that slight gaps would occur between the elements and food and other undesirable sediment would flow under the sink and eventually provide a site in which contaminants could develop.

The arcuate upper surface 23a of the strip 17 provides an additional barrier to water seepage which may occur when water is inadvertently splashed on the lip of the sink 11. This raised portion also contributes to the safety of the sink, since, for example, a bottle hitting the upper surface of the edge strip 18 would have its impact softened and would not be subjected to the shock that would occur in a sink equipped with a stainless steel edge.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a detailed description of an embodiment of the invention for the purpose of explanation thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the details herein given may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination, a sink having a horizontally-extending, perimetric lip defined by flat, parallel top and bottom walls, a horizontally-extending counter top having an aperture therein defining vertical interior walls, said sink being mounted in said counter top with said lip positioned on the portion of said counter top bordering said aperture, a resilient sealing strip interposed between said lip and counter top portion, said strip having a generally flat bottom surface abutting said counter top portion, the longitudinal edge portion of said bottom surface remote from said aperture prior to installation being downwardly inclined in proceeding away from said aperture, said strip being equipped with an upper surface and with a longitudinally-extending integral arcuate flange portion extending upwardly from the upper surface above and aligned with said remote longitudinal edge portion, said flange extending toward said aperture with the end of the flange contacting the upper wall of said lip, said bottom surface being equipped with a depending rib positioned in said aperture and in contact with said vertical interior walls, said strip being stressed substantially only by the weight of the sink.

2. In combination with an aperture counter top having a wall-equipped aperture, a sink equipped with a central bowl and a perirnetric lip terminating in an edge and overlapping said counter top with the sink bowl positioned in the counter top aperture, said lip having flat, spaced-apart top and bottom sides, a resilient elongated edge member for said lip extending about the lip edge and positioned between said lip and counter top, said edge member having angularly related top and bottom surfaces, said bottom surface abutting said counter top and said top surface abutting said lip bottom side, said edge member having an integral portion extending from said top surface overlapping and abutting said lip top side, said edge member top and bottom surfaces be ing effective to urge the portion of said member adjacent the lip top side into sealing engagement therewith, said member having an integral portion depending from said bottom surface into said aperture and in contact with the aperture wall, said member being stressed substan-- tially only by the weight of said sink.

3. In combination, a sink having a horizontally-extending, perimetric lip defined by flat, parallel top and bottom walls, a horizontally-extending counter top having an aperture therein defining vertical interior walls, said sink being mounted in said counter top with said lip positioned on the portion of said counter top bordering said aperture, a resilient sealing strip interposed between said lip and counter top portion, said strip having a generally flat bottom surface abutting said counter top portion, the longitudinal edge portion of said bottom surface remote from said aperture prior to installation being downwardly inclined in proceeding away from said aperture, a longitudinally-extending groove in said remote longitudinal edge portion of said bottom surface, said strip being equipped with an upper surface and with a longitudinally-extending intergral arcuate flange portion extending upwardly from the upper surface above and aligned with said remote longitudinal edge portion, said flange extending toward said aperture with the end of the flange contacting the upper wall of said lip, the bottom surface being equipped with a depending rib positioned in said aperture and in contact wih said vertical interior walls, said strip being stressed substantially only by the weight of the sink.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,259,117 McCormick Mar. 12, 1918 1,576,411 Creamer Mar. 9, 1926 1,881,010 Windsor Oct. 4, 1932 2,497,276 Scott et al. Feb. 14, 1950 2,524,204 OBrien Oct. 3, 1950 2,628,365 Drain Feb. 17, 1953 2,790,181 McCarthy Apr. 30, 1957 2,793,071 Meyer May 21, 1957 2,812,521 Skinner Nov. 12, 1957 2,831,049 Cabral Apr. 15, 1958 

